Surface defects in ceramic tiles, invisible to the naked eye, could be automatically detected by a new system being developed at the University of the West of England (UWE).

The system would detect imperfections such as pinholes, crazing, rough or dull glazes, even on tiles with a texture or relief pattern, saving the industry time and money and reducing wastage.

Based on photometric stereo technology, a demonstration model is being developed at UWE’s Machine Laboratories, in collaboration with the University of Bath, and Fima Surface Inspection.

Professor Melvyn Smith, director of the Machine Vision Lab, said: “This three-year project will lead to significant advances in automating inspection of ceramic tiles. It could also have applications in other industries, where the quality of the surface is paramount, such as metals or shiny plastic components. It builds on our existing expertise in photometric stereo, and will be able to capture surface topography detail at extremely high resolution, at pixel level.”